First NAS

[ThomasT]

So I just brought up my first NAS device replacing an old Windows Server used mostly as a file server that had died. The DS225+ was easy to assemble and configure on my home network. I don't understand what the big deal is about the Synology approved devices, I installed two 8TB Seagate IronWolf HDD's configured for RAID, installed a Samsung 8GB memory card and the NAS came up without errors recognizing the HDD's and memory. I attached a 4TB external backup drive from the server to the NAS USB port, and moved about 2TB of data onto it in about 2 hours. So far the out of the box experience is good, and the device seems easy enough to work with and plays well on my network. I'm sort of downgrading as I don't have the business need for the Windows servers any longer and plan to use the NAS as a home media server in addition to being a file server for laptop backups. Is there anything I should be watching out for with the non-Synology approved HDD's and memory?

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[Jan Janowski]

Been using 3rd party stuff: RAM, HDD Drives, SSD's, Power Supplies, USB & eSATA Enclosures & SSD inside them, and NVME for R/W Caches (On their accepted list then, but not now ???) ...... On Multiple NAS's: 718+ & 720+..

I had one warning on installing old Seagate Barracuda Drives on first installation, on 720+ a few years back, but said 'Use them Anyway' and nothing after! Since then have installed 3rd party HDD & SSD.... Nary a complaint regarding drives! (3rd party gear 4+ years or more). No issues that I can report.

Though my NAS's are approaching EOL status.... I'm relatively happy with my Synology experience... Nothing is PERFECT...

 

[White Bear]

Drives from the major vendors, such as Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba should work well as long as they’re designed for NAS or enterprise use (e.g., IronWolf, Red Pro, Ultrastar, Exos). The downside is that newer Synology NAS may display compatibility warnings or limit access to certain drive health features.

Best to use RAM that exactly matches Synology’s specifications (type, speed, voltage, ECC vs. non-ECC, and capacity). Poorly matched RAM can cause crashes or silent data corruption. Consider running a memory test after installing new RAM.

The last caveat is that if you need Synology support, using approved components can make that process smoother. But if you enjoy experimenting with your NAS and don't mind these tradeoffs, carefully selected third party components will work just fine.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Rusty]

I don't understand what the big deal is about the Synology approved devices, I installed two 8TB Seagate IronWolf HDD's configured for RAID, installed a Samsung 8GB memory card and the NAS came up without errors recognizing the HDD's and memory

Welcome to the forum.
The X25 models from the DS lineup fall under the new HCL 5.0 policy that supports 3rd party drives with no issues at all. This is not true for all the other models from Synology's portfolio, so buying a Syno NAS and just using any drive will not work for the most part, only for the DS segment.

On top of this, as Bear said, be prepared to not get support from Synology in cases involving array issues and such unless it can be proven that its is a device, not a drive issue.

 

[Jan Janowski]

Probably true, but in any of the bug reports that I’ve filed…. That resulted up being a code rewrite & Update by Synology, where I submitted any files to Support….
I have ever been refused assistance - due to findings of 3rd party hardware referenced in the file I sent. Must be about 6-8 now. NAS or Router. I believe this speaks well of Support’s intentions.

But none have ever involved data loss either, which I guess speaks well for HDD’s & SSD’s I’ve Chosen, and the ‘old time’ raid rules I chose to follow.